How to Eat Well When You're Totally Broke

Tips for getting healthy on a budget.

By
Marjorie Korn

Jan 31, 2015

TRAVIS RATHBONE

One dollar will buy you 1 cup of grapes — or 10 packages of ramen. Unfortunately, the cheapest food is usually the worst for you. But it is possible to be healthy on a budget, says chef Ellen Damaschino of No Kid Hungry's Cooking Matters program. We gave her $30 and she came back with enough for 21 meals. Here's the game plan to eat well all week.

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GETTY IMAGES/COSMOPOLITAN

The three rules for cheaper groceries:

1. Go dry. You'll save by choosing dry beans, rice, polenta, quinoa, and other grains — make a bunch and use it for multiple meals.

2. Go big. You may pay more up front for a larger container of oatmeal (store brand, natch), but the cost per ounce will be lower.

3. Go frozen. Not only are frozen veggies, meat, and fish perfectly healthy, but you also don't run the risk of having them go bad.

This article was originally published as "How to Eat When You're Totally Broke" in the February 2015 issue of Cosmopolitan. Click here to get the issue in the iTunes store!

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